Apprentices' FAQ's

An apprenticeship enables you to be in real employment, complete your qualification at college and gain valuable work experience to ensure that you have the right balance of technical and practical skills. As employees, apprentices earn a wage and work alongside experienced staff to gain job-specific skills. Off the job, normally on a day-release basis, apprentices receive training to work towards nationally recognised vocational and academic qualifications.

Not all businesses can make the commitment to hiring an apprentice for the full duration of an apprenticeship. Therefore by using our award winning shared apprenticeship service, all apprentices are employed by EN:Able Futures and we will work to ensure you remain employed throughout the duration of your apprenticeship. This means you could end up working with different employers, giving you more insight into how different companies operate as well as providing valuable opportunities to enhance and learn new skills.

It is just a myth that you cannot go to University after completing an apprenticeship – with Advanced Apprenticeships you can! Many employers will look at keeping you on after completion of your apprenticeship too!

Apprenticeships give you on-the-job training and real experience. You get the opportunity to apply the theory that you will learn on your day release at college to real tasks, which will enhance your learning experience.

You will work for a minimum of 16 hours per week, however it is more likely to be over 30 hours per week.

Again, this will be dependent on your course but will be a minimum of 12 months. It all depends on prior skills levels of the apprentices and the industry sector of the Apprenticeship. In general the courses last 104 weeks, although this may be different depending on start dates. Electrical apprenticeships however last 4 years and Business Administration Apprenticeships last 52 weeks.

This will depend on your location in the region but it will be with a local college or training provider. Normally this will be on a day release basis once per week, but will depend on your course.

The National Minimum Wage for Apprentices is £3.70 per hour (From April 2018). You will be entitled to this rate if you are aged under 19 or aged over 19 but in your first year of your apprenticeship. If you are aged over 19, in your second year of an apprenticeship you will be entitled to the National Minimum Wage for your age.

No. You will be paid your salary by EN:Able Futures. Any contributions towards training costs that may be required will be covered by your employer.

There are special protections in place for young workers under the age of 18. Young people within this category must not exceed 8 hours a day or 40 hours per week. You are also entitled to rest breaks of at least 30 minutes where shifts last more than four and half hours.

You can send us your CV and meet with us to discuss potential options that may be available for you. You won’t however be registered with us until you gain employment and confirmation of an apprenticeship place.

Anyone can do an apprenticeship! However, if you are aged over 24 you may be asked to contribute towards the cost of your training, though you may be eligible for financial assistance.

Different Apprenticeships require different entry requirements, and in the majority of cases we will require you to have Grades A – C at GCSE in Maths, English & Science (for technical trades) or a minimum of 5 GCSEs (Grades A – C including Maths & English) for all other trades. You must also be living in the UK, not in full-time education and aged over 16.

As you are an employee you are entitled to at least 20 days’ paid holiday per year in addition to bank holidays, however there may be requirements to sometimes work on bank holidays.